Electronic memory permits a device to store and retrieve data. One difficulty with retrieving data in an electronic memory is a delay that occurs between requesting the data and when the data is available. The delay may be caused by one or more components/steps in reading from the electronic memory. For example, in a solid state memory such as a random access memory (RAM), one source of the delay is a predefined margin of time between activating a bit line associated with a memory cell and enabling a sense amplifier to read a value from the bit line.
The predefined margin is an amount of time built into a signal path that delays activating the sense amplifier. The purpose of the predefined margin is to provide time for the bit line to achieve a voltage that can be sensed by the sense amplifier prior to the sense amplifier being activated. Without the predefined margin, the sense amplifier may activate before the bit line has reached a correct voltage, thereby causing incorrect readings by the sense amplifier. Accordingly, the predefined margin ensures that the sense amplifier is not enabled until a value provided on the bit line is ready to be read.
The predefined margin is a function of timing variation that exists in circuitry between a common connection point and the bit line. The common connection point is a location within circuitry of the memory where a signal diverges and is provided to the memory cell and is also provided to the sense amplifier. Accounting for the timing variations adds to the predefined margin as a number of components between the common connection point and the memory cell grows. Accordingly, the predefined margin can cause additional delays when retrieving data from the memory.